DOMAINfest Enters the Post-Playboy Era

Next DOMAINfest Global conference just a few months away.

For three years DOMAINfest has been defined by a single event: its party at the Playboy Mansion.

Don’t get me wrong. The conferences were great and packed with excellent sessions. But when people talked regarding the conference it inevitably came back to that one party.

The 2012 conference will be different. The final party will be at a different (and less controversial) venue, The House of Blues. I suspect the big discussion following the conference will be different, too.

Here are some of the highlights I’m looking forward to at this year’s conference:

Workshop: Everything You Need to Know Regarding Fresh TLDs – barring any last minute legal action, the window for applying for fresh TLDs will be open when this session takes place. I think we had a great fresh TLD session at Domainer Mardi Gras last year; I hope this is something similar where it’s not just loaded with consultants and service providers.

Panel: Affiliate Lead Generation Best Practices – this panel typifies how DOMAINfest is moving away from just a domain monetization show. It’s also good to see former Oversee.net employee Jay Weintraub on the bill. He’s now an expert in lead gen and runs the leading conference in that space.

Keynote Fireside Chat with Biz Stone – DOMAINfest is tops when it comes to landing big name keynote speakers. This year is no different with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

DOMAINfest takes place Jan 31 to Feb 2 in Santa Monica.